Microfluidic flow lysometer device, system and method

The invention provides a device, system and method that enables a microfluidic flow lysometer cell analyzer. Using a population of suspended living cells. cell surface molecule detection reagents, and cell cytoplasm (or nuclear) molecule detection reagents, this microfluidic cell analyzer can rapidly analyze a population of cells by running them on a one-at-a-time basis through small capillary channels. The cell's morphology or surface markers are analyzed, then the cells are lysed, and the molecules present in the cell's cytoplasm or nuclear material are analyzed. Cell morphology is then analyzed as the cell surface molecules are correlated with the molecules present in the same cell's cytoplasm or nucleic acids, and this correlated cell population data is then presented to a user for interpretation. The invention also addresses issues such as device fouling, correction for experimental artifacts (incomplete cell lyis, variable cell debris volume effects), and inadequate data collection that hampered earlier efforts in this area.